Comics are not frequently known for their deep characterization -- at least, not until a reader's been sucked into 5 years of backstory soap-opera-like backstory. The subtle bits that ring perfectly true for a given character in a movie or a book rarely shine through in a comic, and we're left with pure plot to shape our understanding of who they are.

Platinum Grit is an exception (imo, at least). It's a really bizarre comic from Australia that made its debut back in the early 90's. Slowly but surely, the creators put its one-year run online, and now new issues are being published on the web as they create them. The main characater, Jeremy, is a nerdy misfit par excellence. He's sweet and kindhearted and accidentally contacts aliens and is utterly, completely inept with people. The comic is riddle with one-to-two-panel flashback moments, not unlike the split second memories that fill Arrested Development, illustrating the meaning of a particular catch-phrase in the disfunctional family.

The latest issue of Platinum Grit had one of those perfect moments that captured Jeremy's personality. Ready to go out on a date (how that happens is another improbable adventure), his wickedly amused female friend Nils asks if he's been taught about "the birds and the bees." He responds with a huffy, "Of course!" -- but the next three frames offer one of those perfect flashbacks...

And for a moment there, it's perfect. Jeremy, the young blossoming inventor, with his father the eccentric inventor. When it comes time to talk about growing up, it's all stammering, hemming and hawing, and... science! Later, it pays off again, as his date gives him bedroom eyes and asks what they should do next. Jeremy pauses for a beat, turns to her...

"Let's build a rocket!"